Emergencies At Your Child's School

Sometimes emergencies happen at schools. To help everyone remain calm and act quickly in an urgent situation, each school has detailed plans that students and staff practise regularly throughout the year.

Learn about emergency procedures

Ask to see the emergency plans, which are available in the school office.

Review parent handbooks to find out where to meet your child after an emergency.

Talk to the principal for more information.

Information in an emergency

In an emergency, we may communicate with you in a number of ways.

Emergency Message System

Our District has a new emergency message system called SchoolMessenger that can call and text you when there is a major emergency at your child’s school. The system is already set up to send you voice messages, but we need your permission to contact you by text. Learn about how to sign up to get emergency texts from SchoolMessenger.

SchoolZone

In an emergency, school staff will be focused on keeping students safe. Schools may share an update on SchoolZone after the emergency is over and everyone is safe.

Media and Social Media

For major emergencies, information may also be shared on the District’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, and through local media.

Help keep your child safe in an emergency

Don’t call the school. Too many calls can overload the phone system and prevent emergency workers from making timely contact with the school.

Don’t call or text your child. In a lockdown, staff and students stay out of sight and keep quiet because there is an immediate threat to the school. A ringing or vibrating phone can reveal your child’s location.

Don’t go to the school. Extra vehicles and people in the area can make it difficult for emergency workers to do their jobs. We will tell you if we need you to come to the school or an alternate location.

Reuniting with your child after an emergency

Most emergencies don’t last long and are resolved before the school day ends.

If it’s the end of the school day and an emergency has just ended, school staff and/or emergency workers will be at the school and tell you where to go to meet your child. If your child takes the bus, you will be notified if the bus is on time or late. If your child walks home, staff will take necessary precautions to ensure your child is safe leaving the site.

In some emergencies, your child’s class and teacher will go to an alternate safe site. If that happens, you will be notified about where to go to pick up your child. Sign out procedures will be in place - your child must be picked up by a parent, guardian or another adult.

Types of emergencies

ALERT

A threat is outside the school. All exterior doors are locked. There are no outside activities. Classes continue as normal.

LOCKDOWN

Lockdowns happen when there is an immediate threat to the school. All interior doors are locked. Staff and students keep quiet and stay out of sight. If staff and students are on a field trip, they will go to an alternate safe site instead of returning to the school. Students will not be released from the school until emergency responders say it is safe.

EVACUATION

Schools may be evacuated during a fire, flood or explosion. They may also be evacuated due to a bomb threat. All staff, students and visitors immediately leave the building and proceed to the school’s meeting place. Everyone either stays at the meeting place or moves to an alternate safe site. Staff, students and visitors return to the building only after emergency responders say it is safe.

TORNADO ALERT

Staff and students inside the building go to pre-designated shelter areas, which are usually interior hallways on the lowest floor of a building. If the school is damaged and it is safe to go outside, staff, students and visitors may be evacuated.

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